Breaking the News
by Sarah1281
Summary: In which Gorim attempts to inform Reidin Aeducan of his exile but gets distracted by Reidin's inability to hold a grudge, newfound daddy issues, and his insistence he'd rather go off to the Deep Roads alone to avoid being forced to be responsible...


Breaking the News

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age.

Gorim Saelac wouldn't be exaggerating if he called these last few days the worst of his life and it was only going to get worse: he had been charged with being the one to break the news to Reidin Aeducan as King Endrin had retreated to his palace to deal with his grief and Lord Harrowmont didn't want to be the bearer of bad news. Still, it was his last chance to see Reidin before the sentence was carried out and Reidin likely perished so he couldn't say he minded all that much.

"You've got ten minutes, ser," the guard told Gorim impassively. "Orders and all. You understand."

Yes, Gorim did understand. He understood all of it. That didn't make it any better. "Of course," he replied a little distantly. "Leave us alone, will you please?"

The guard nodded. "Yes, ser," he said before marching back the way he had come.

Gorim watched until he had reached the very end of the hallway and thus was safely out of hearing range before he turned his attention to the man he had come to see. "My Lord…" he began uncertainly. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to plan out how this conversation would go but he still had no idea how he was supposed to tell him just what Orzammar had in store for their favorite Prince. "I…" He couldn't do it. Not yet. "I would have come sooner had they allowed it."

Reidin, looking perfectly at ease in rags though Gorim knew he had never so much as gazed upon them before, tucked a strand of his light blond hair behind his ears and looked up from book. "Oh, hello Gorim," he said politely. "It's good of you to have come."

"How are you holding up?" Gorim asked. He didn't expect the answer to be a positive one but he could hardly avoid posing the question without coming off as unbearably rude and he desperately wanted to hear that the other man was alright even if it were only a comforting lie.

Reidin cocked his head as he considered the question. "I'm doing good," he announced. "I was a little bored earlier but Bhelen brought me this book. Some scholar named Genitivi apparently wrote it a few years back about the Surface. Did you know that there is an actual hole in the sky and that it goes on forever? And that it's _blue_?" He shook his head in disbelief at that little oddity and either completely oblivious or simply unconcerned about the more pressing issue he'd just brought up.

"Why was Bhelen here?" Gorim asked sharply. Sure he was no longer technically Reidin's second but someone had to look out for him and at this point it looked like it was either him or Harrowmont who was already trying to comfort the King for Reidin's completely unnecessary death.

Reidin shrugged. "He said something about wanting to look into the eyes of the man who killed his brother and ask why I did it."

Of all the… "But you didn't do it! He was already dead when we arrived," Gorim pointed out, trying to keep his anger under control. He had never liked Bhelen. Sure, he was less abrasive than Trian had been but he had never quite trusted someone who could be so important and yet stay so completely in the background. And looking back, Trian hadn't actually been all that bad. If nothing else, he'd never framed Reidin for fratricide.

"You and I might know that along with Ivo and anyone else Bhelen involved that is still among the living but until I hear otherwise then that's the official story," Reidin said stubbornly. Ancestors knew that the deshyrs didn't deserve it but the Assembly had Reidin's loyalty so he would stand by whatever they decided even if they had clearly all been bribed. As reluctant as he was to admit it, Bhelen had shown himself to be stunningly brilliant over the past two days and that was why he couldn't just let this go.

"So why was Bhelen **really** here? Was he trying to kill you?" Gorim pressed. If he had then he would have done a spectacularly poor job of it and it was highly unnecessary given the news he had yet to deliver.

Reidin looked amused. "Bhelen? Kill me? I doubt he'd do so personally. Plus, I'm rather unarmed here so it's not like I could have stopped him. No, I think he mostly just came to gloat," he mused.

"So it's not enough that he's ruining your life? He had to come down here and rub your face in it?" Gorim demanded, his resentment rising. If only Bhelen had been the one to die then none of this would have happened as Trian was certainly not a mastermind of the same caliber Bhelen was revealing himself to be. How had they all been so blind?

"I don't mind," Reidin said serenely. "At least he could be bothered to visit unlike, say, my Father. I congratulated him and he seemed pleasantly surprised. We talked for a bit and then he gave me this book. It was all very cordial."

Gorim could hardly believe it. "Cordial? Are you serious? He framed you for fratricide!" he exclaimed.

"And he assured me that it was only a little personal. He has some daddy issues, you see," Reidin confided, "but it's really not all that relevant. For that matter, I'm really starting to get some daddy issues of my own with the way I haven't seen my Father at all since he ordered me dragged through the streets of Orzammar in chains. I mean, really? People could actually see me!"

Reidin _would_ be concerned about something like that when he clearly had much bigger problems. "Your father hasn't left the Palace since you were arrested," he informed him. "He said that he couldn't bear to lose two of his children at once."

"And so he's doing nothing to intervene with whatever is happening to me," Reidin said dryly. "Brilliant. I can really see where Bhelen gets it from."

"Okay, you can't possibly blame your father and not Bhelen when he's the one who actually put all of this into motion," Gorim protested.

"Can't I?" Reidin asked rhetorically, raising an eyebrow. "I know what Bhelen wants to get out of this: he wants the throne and I am more than happy to let him have it. How, exactly, does this benefit my father?" Yes, Gorim was well aware of Reidin's ever-growing paranoia of being forced to take the throne which was one of the reasons he had always supported Trian: he viewed his older brother as his last line of defense again being forced to become King himself. What's more, Bhelen knew it, too. If he hadn't before he had tried – and failed – to convince Reidin to take action to make his succeeding their father more likely then he certainly had after Reidin had had a mild panic attack at the very thought. Still, Reidin's disinclination to take the throne didn't necessarily mean that he wouldn't be chosen which was Gorim's theory about why Bhelen blamed Reidin anyway.

"Maybe he doesn't want a scandal to cost the Aeducans the throne," Gorim suggested a little lamely. "Honestly, it's not like we've discussed this at length."

"And even though he has a reason for abandoning me he still can't be bothered to come and see me," Reidin said, entirely unsympathetic to what his father was going through. Then again, given that King Endrin was essentially killing his favorite son to prevent a scandal Gorim could hardly blame him. "I _was _a little put-out that it's taken you, what, two days to come by but if you couldn't get in then I can't blame you."

"I'm actually surprised that your brother found the time to come see you given how busy he's been since Trian's death," Gorim admitted, deciding it was about time to gently lead into the subject. If he could have put it off indefinitely then he would have but he didn't have all day and Reidin needed to know. Better that he heard it now from him then from an impassive Lord Harrowmont moments before it actually happened.

"Oh? What he's been up to?" Reidin asked, perking up. He must be extremely bored if he actually wanted to talk about politics. Reidin would always do his duty and get involved where he had to but to actively seek it out? That was…really, really bizarre.

"He's taken Trian's place in the Assembly and convinced them to immediately condemn you and exile you into the Deep Roads," Gorim said as quickly as he could, hoping he wouldn't be asked to repeat that.

"Really? He works fast," Reidin said approvingly. Gorim wasn't at all sure why he was being so complimentary towards something that was likely to get him killed but then again it might just be a noble thing. "If I ever see him again, I'll need to congratulate him again as now I'm even more impressed than I was before!"

"Yes, I suppose he's more clever than either of us ever thought," Gorim conceded. That much was painfully obvious at least or else he never would have managed to pull it off and something of this magnitude had to have taken _years_. "Some of the Lords, particularly Harrowmont, are rallying but far too slowly to be of any use to us." It didn't appear that they would manage to organize fast enough to even save him let alone Reidin so he almost didn't mention it but surely he'd want to know that the entire Assembly hadn't turned against him and that some were as shocked and appalled by this as they were. Not to mention that since tradition and ceremony were minor obsessions of Harrowmont's Gorim wasn't even sure if he'd even mention his belief in Reidin's innocence as he cast him out.

Reidin snorted. "Well isn't that a surprise." He stopped and a look of concern spread across his face. "Wait, us? Are you in trouble, too?"

"I'm afraid so, my Lord," Gorim confirmed. He wasn't particularly eager to dwell on his own misfortune but it honestly wasn't anywhere near as bad as Reidin's fate. "My knighthood will be stripped and my name torn from my family's records…"

"'Will be'?" Reidin repeated, apparently seeking more of an explanation.

"That won't happen until I'm exiled to the Surface which the Assembly will need to work out the details of over the next weeks," Gorim elaborated. And what a fun next few weeks they would be. Still, it would be easy compared to what awaited Reidin and so he really couldn't complain to him now could he?

Reidin winced sympathetically. "They're sending to the Surface? Harsh. Do you want to borrow my book?" he offered, holding it out.

Gorim shook his head. He was not about to take literally the only thing Reidin owned right now. "I'm sure if I need it later I can find my own copy."

"So that's several weeks off? Please tell me that that's not how long I'll need to stay here," Reidin pleased. "The food here is frankly substandard to say the least and the décor is depressing!"

"No, Lord Harrowmont is going to be down here in a few minutes to hand you a weapon and shield and then send you on your way," Gorim assured him. Just how bad had the past two days been if he was eagerly awaiting his death sentence? Then again, Reidin had always been a strange one.

"Good thing I have this book then," the soon-to-be exiled Prince said brightly. "I wonder how long it will take to find a path to the Surface…"

Gorim blinked, surprised. "You intend to find a way to the Surface?" It would appear that he didn't need to worry about trying to convince him then.

Reidin shrugged. "Why not? The Deep Roads are really dull and there's not much food down there and I've never liked mushrooms anyway. Besides, the darkspawn find a way to the Surface occasionally – more often now with a Blight amassing, I should think – and they certainly don't come through Orzammar so there has to be another way, probably more," he said reasonably.

"Lord Harrowmont actually let me in to see you so I could tell you that the Grey Wardens are still in tunnels connected to those you are to be sealed in," Gorim revealed. "He may not have managed to get you sent to the Surface but he was able to influence _where_ you were sent, at least. You could find Duncan and escape with the Wardens."

"Sounds like a plan," Reidin said agreeably. "Was there anything else?"

There was but Gorim wasn't quite sure how to say it. Finally, he decided to just spit it out. "I begged to go with you and fight at your side but Bhelen's pet nobles wouldn't hear of it."

Reidin inspected a nail. "I'll probably be better off without you."

Well that he hadn't expected to hear. Some admonishes that he should have tried harder, some angry accusations about whether he had actually done so, even some platitudes about how he was better off but this? He didn't quite know what to say. "My Lord?" he asked, startled.

"Well, no offense, but I'm a better fighter than you and if anyone is with me I'll have to worry about being," Reidin shuddered and made a face, "all _responsible_."

"I can take care of myself, my Lord," Gorim insisted, mildly affronted.

"I know," Reidin told him, sounding sincere. "But while my tentative plans seem to be to go find I might get lost and stumble across the Legion of the Dead and decide to join them instead. Then where would you be? Forced to either do that as well or have to go forth and look for Duncan on your own and that's really not fair."

"I suppose so," Gorim said reluctantly. At any rate, even if he managed to convince Reidin that it would be a good idea for him to come along it's not like he would be able to so there was little reason to argue the point. "Well, if you ever decide to commit to responsibility, I'll be in Denerim."

"Okay. I'll make sure to look you up if I don't manage to get myself killed," Reidin vowed. "Oh, and if I don't forget…"

Honestly, Gorim wasn't quite sure how Reidin was going to survive without him.

Review Please!


End file.
